Method of making roller bearings



June 14, 1938. v. E. TlLLSOlN 7 2,120,533

METHOD OF MAKING ROLLER BEARINGS Filed Oct. 20, 1934 2 sheets-Sheet 1 i I Z L f if 13 13 1 7 -,-;7,/ 721/611 or //////////7/7/// 10m 5 92/1507;

June 14, 1938. r v. E. TlLLsoN T OF MAKING ROLLER BEARINGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 20, 1934 Inventor Vivid/z E Tz'ZZ'sorz Patented June 14, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE METHOD OF MAKING ROLLER BEARINGS Vivian Earle Tillson, LAnse, Miclh, assignor to Tillson Bearing Corporation, LAnse, MiclL, a corporation of Michigan Application October 20, 1934, Serial No. 749,210 6 Claims. (Cl. 29-1484) The main objects of this invention are to proadjustments or other assembling operations of vide an improved form of roller bearing with imany kind on the part of the ilser. proved arrangement and structure of parts for The device shown in Figure 1 comprises an simplifying the manufacture of such bearings inner sleeve or hearing member I bored to fit a without loss of the advantages of extrememeshaft 2 for which it is intended and having a chemical accuracy in eliminating frictiomand to central annular bearing race 3 throughout its provide an improved method of assembling the middle portion with depressed seats 4 at each parts of such bearings whereby the intentional end. The outer bearing member 5 has a cylinuse of an excess of material in one or more places drical exterior and on its inner face has a bearand the temporary strain and friction during the ing race 8 in its middle portion intended to co- 10 initial operation of the parts themselves can be operate with bearing rollers "I which are of a utilized for obtaining a high degree of mathediameter to exactly fit between the bearing races matical accuracy in the relative dimensions of 3 and I. The bearing member 5 has inwardly the parts to assure an almost frictionless normal extending ribs 8 located so as to provide thrust performance of the bearing, even with considershoulders 9 cooperating with the end margins of 5 able tolerance in the dimensions of the principal the roller 1 to confine the latter against endwise elements of the structure. movement.

For the purpose of illustration, I have shown Interposed between the bearing rollers I are two specific embodiments of the invention in the spacer rollers III which ha enlarged end D drawings in which: tions II that have rolling engagement with races 0 Figure 1 is an axial section of a form of the I2 which extend around the outside of the series bearing in which the axes of the spacer rollers of space rollers and a e ca i y end 1 8 lie outward of the axes of the bearing rollers with which are fast on the inner bearing member I, respect to the axis of the bearing as a whole. being preferably permanently mounted thereon Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the line by having press-fitted relation with the seats 4. 5

2'2 of Fig. 1. The rings I3 are also provided with shoulders Fig. 3 is an axial section of a modified form of ll which engage the shoulders ii at the inner the bearing in which the axes of the spacer rollers ds 01' the seats 4 d e e d beyond the bearlie inward of the axes of the bearing rollers. ing race 3 so as to overlap the ends of the' bear- Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line 4-4 of ing rollers 1. t e eby locking the inner and Outer F bearing members against relative axial move- The two forms of bearing shown in the drawment, except such'slight amount as is desired for ings are for the most practical purposes interara ce between the partschangeable but I prefer to use the form shown in In t e o S own n F u es 3 and the Outer Figures 1 and 2 in places where the outer part bearing ember 6 o e pond i shape to the of the bearing is stationary and the shaft is er bea member Of Figure 1 and the inner driven; and to use. the form shown in Figures 3 bearing member I'I corresponds in shape with the and 4 in places where the shaft is stationary and. 0111761 member 5 of Figure The end T s I8 .the outer member rotates, for the reason that in are Press-fitted to the seats in the outer bear 40 such arrangements the rotating member, through mg member and the end thrust ribs zo'are' m 40 rolling engagement of driven races with both the this form located on the inner member The bearing rollers and their spacers, drives them spacer rollers 2| have their axes located inward both and assures that their engagement with each of the axes of the bearing rollers 22 and the end other is asubstantially pure rolling contact withportions of the spacer rollers are of reduced outslippage. Also the form shown in Figures 1 and 2 gives greater ruggedness for heavy duty under severe loads at relatively slow speed. The form shown in Figures 3 and 4is more adaptable jiggi g: g g igfgiogmgd t? 131121 21153 to extremely high speeds underhght load theoretical correctness of dimensions as to insure 5 dmonsthat all contacting rotating surfaces will move y n a ng 1s designed or ass m s a with substantially pure rolling contact like that comparativ ly in pe iv unit in the form f a of the theoretical pitch surfaces of gearing and composite collar that is intended to be inserted that the relative slipping of these parts, if there races on the end rings l8.

with the general arrangements of parts herein into a machine as a single unit; and requiring no be any, due to inertia or momentum, will be rediameter and have rolling engagement with 5 I duced to a minimum by reason of the fact that the spacer rollers are driven independently of their contact with 'the bearing rollers but in properly timed relation thereto.

In all manufacturing operations, where'mass production methods are employed, there is some variation in the dimensions of the parts from the theoretical mathematical ideal within a limited range of practical tolerance. I find in the manufacture of my bearings that I can compensate for this slight variation of dimensions by deliberately proportioning the parts so as to introduce a factor of localized wear on a relatively narrow surface that will allow the parts to quickly effect the compensating adjustment in a period of preliminary tuning up".

To this end, I deliberately provide an excess of metal on the races for the spacer roller end portions, so that these races will be high enough to eliminate all play arising from the practical tolerances that are recognized in the dimensioning of the parts. These end bearing races'will be initially high" with respect to the mathematical ideal; that is, the races I2 of Fig. 1 will be of slightly less diameter, and the races 24 of the device of Fig. 3 will be of slightly greater diameter than the ideal. The parts are then assembled by force so as to introduce an element of initial pressure between the end portions ii and 23 of the spacer rollers III and 2| with their respective races I2 and 24.

-On account of the fact that the contacting surfaces of these end races with the spacer rollers are narrow compared-with the surfaces of the spacer rollers I0 and bearing relief I, this arrangement assures that the initial wear will be concentrated at these races, which are of minor importance compared with the surfaces of' the main bearing rollers, their races and the body portions of the spacers. This wear will last only until the races have worn down sufiiciently to practically eliminate the sliding action, due to deviation of the parts from the exact mathemat- 4 ical ideal dimensions for frictionless operation.

This wearing, or polishing down, of the spacer I end races is accomplished at the factory by running the bearings with just enough load to force all rollers to turnfor a limited period of time to tune up the bearing before delivery to the user.

In like manner the high surface or excess of material and the resulting preliminary wear may be on the spacer end portions instead of on their.

correctness of proportionsof parts of the bearing and substantially "pure rolling contact" be.- tween moving surfaces will be understood from the following explanatory statements:

For the outside spacer type: When the inner race turns inside the stationary outer race, the

roller train (rolls I and spacers III) progress in' thesame direction around the central axis. but at a proportionately slower speed (R. P. M.) than the inner race. Since spacer track I2 is integral with the inner race 3 and travels at the same R. P, M., the surface speed of said track i2 is greater than the speed of, travel .of the roller train aroimd the central axis at the point of contact of track i2 with the spacer ends II.

For the inside spacer type: When the'inner race l'l turns inside the stationary outer race It, the roller train (rollers 22 and spacers 2!) progress around the central axis in the same direction but at a proportionately slower speed (R. P. M.')- than the inner race l1. Since the spacer track24 is integral with the outer race It and stationary, in order to eliminate slip at this point, the spacer ends 23 must be so proportioned that their peripheral speed in rotation around their own axis will just compensate for the speed of travel of the roller train around the central axis (at the point of contact of spacer ends 23 with the spacer track 24) with respect to the fixed spacer track 24.

It is impossible to state any definite dimension for the amount of excess material on the socalled' high surfaces orto reduce this to a definite proportion of the theoretically correct diameters as this excess should be only enough to make it necessary to press the spacer roller ends into their running or assembled position with respect to their races and to compehsate'for such slight tolerance as is commercially necessary in machining the moving surfaces of the bearing.

Although the foregoing description and the drawings are directed to specific embodiments, it will be understood that detailsmay be modified or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In the manufacture of roller bearings having bearing races, bearing rollers, end-trunnioned spacer rollers and spacer roller trunnion races, all designed and proportioned to approximate pure rolling contact at all wearing surfaces, the

method which consists in initially forming the trunnion races with excess material uniformly distributed around their bearing faces, assembling the bearing and then running the assembled hearing until this excess material is worn oil.

. 2. The method of making roller bearings which consists in providing concentric cylindrical bearing races, multiple bearing rollers spaced apart circumferentially and having rolling fit between said races, spacer rollers alternately interposed between the bearing rollers, said spacer rollers being of larger diameter than the intervals'between said bearing rollers and having extended end portions, and races for said end portions, proportioning the diameters of said rollers and said end portions and their races for substantially pure rolling-contact but with slight excess of material on the faces of said end portion races to produce an initial pressure contact, and then causing the wearing away of said excess material.

by forced operation of the bearing. v

3. In the manufacture of roller bearings having parts, comprising bearing rollers, bearing races, spacer rollers having extended end portions and spacer races for said end portions fixed to the more-distant bearing race, the method of pro'portioning all of said parts for substantially pure rolling relation except that certain of said parts are made with predetermined. uniformly "high peripheral surfaces to localize initial wear a to more clomly approximate pure rolling contact between all of said parts after a predetermined amount of initial wear has occurred.

4. The method of making roller bearings which consists in providing concentric cylindrical bearing races, multiple bearing rollers spaced apart circmnferentially and having pproximately true rolling fit between said races, spacer rollers of larger diameter than the interval between the bearing rollers and alternately interposed between the bearing rollers and having extended end portions, and races for said end portions fixed to the more distant bearing races, proportioning the diameters of said rollers and said end portions and their races for approximately pure rolling contact but with a definitely predetermined slight excess of material positioned to localize initial wear, and then causing the wearing away of said excess material by forced operation of the bearing.

5. In the manufacture of a roller bearing comprising inner and outer members, having concentrically opposed bearing races, an annular series of bearing rollers fitting between said races, spacer rollers interposed between said bearing rollers and having extended end portions, and end rings having races in rolling engagement with said spacer roller end portions, the process steps of proportioning said parts for approximately pure rolling contact throughout, and. then fabricating said parts so that an excess of material will be initially provided in predetermined location on certain of said parts to hold said spacer and bearing rollers in initial pressure contact with each other and concentrate the initial wear in said location, whereby after such initial wear the parts will be brought to approximate pure rolling contact at all rolling surfaces.

6. In the manufacture of a roller bearing comprising concentric bearing races, bearing rollers fitting between said bearing races, spacer rollers alternatingly interposed between said bearing rollers, said spacer rollers having body portions larger than the intervals between bearing rollers and having extended end portions, and spacer races engaging said end portions and secured in fixed relation to the more distant bearing race, the process steps of proportioning said parts for approximately pure rolling contact throughout, then fabricating the parts so that the spacer races will be slightly lhigh to insure initial pressure contact and cau s'ethe initial wear to be concentrated at said spacer races.

VIVIAN EARLE 'I'JLLSON. 

